Love Is Overrated Most Of The Time
by Coffee221bTARDISDemigodWonders
Summary: If there were one thing that Ruffnut and Astrid agreed with, was love is very overrated. Or that's what they both thought, before. But when Astrid shows her softside, and she finds out that Ruff has one, too, maybe it may not be...that bad - Story is better than summary. Please review! T for mild swearing. Ruffstrid.


When Astrid was a little girl, only four years old, her mother passed away from infected burn marks, she got from fighting a dragon. Astrid was an only child, and all she had was her father. He was the only example Astrid ever had. He was not like Astrid's mother, who was much more graceful and feminine. So as Astrid grew up, she grew, being brought up like a boy. She had to be the toughest, brightest, and best fighter in the room. She had to be smart. She had to fight like a boy, and talk like a boy, and never do anything like a girl. Of course, her father knew Astrid had a soft side, and he let her embrace that. But the longer Astrid trained with her father, the more Astrid let go of her girlish side. It was her choice. Astrid became a fighter. She became the toughest girl in all of Berk. Astrid never acted girlish. She never had any interests other than fighting. What Astrid's father hadn't realized, was that he hadn't raised Astrid like a boy, he raised her like a warrior. Astrid didn't do fun things that boys did, either. She just fought dragons, protected the town, and was trained to act like the warrior. She only cared about fighting dragons. That was the only thing on her mind, and that scared her father. He never wanted that. He didn't know how to raise a girl, so he raised her like a boy, but it was deeper than that. He didn't know Astrid's secret.

In Astrid's teen years, she was able to make more friends. Her first friend she made was named Tuffnut, who was very silly, and very annoying. He always glorified himself, and pretended to be the coolest guy around. Astrid got a kick out of him, because of how ridiculous she found him. Tuffnut was not very clever, and very ADD and passive aggressive, and not easy to talk to, and really hard to work with, but he was a friend. About a week after they became friends, Astrid was standing in the middle of town, very bored, waiting to talk to Tuffnut, when he strolled along with a girl who looked very similar to himself with white-blond hair that was in braids. They were both talking and laughing really hard. Astrid smiled, walking up to them and asked for her name, and introduced herself. The other girl's name was Ruffnut, and Astrid was guessing that they were twins, because what other reason would you name your kids Ruffnut and Tuffnut.

The more Astrid talked to Ruffnut, the more she disliked her. She didn't know why. She was similar to Tuffnut, and maybe even more nice and less aggressive if anything, and smarter, but there was something about her that made Astrid cringe.

Years passed, and Astrid was turning seventeen. Ruffnut and Tuffnut became Astrid's best friends, and she made a few more named Fishlegs, and Snotlout. She still had a weird feeling toward Ruffnut, which was something she didn't like. She just seemed...to annoy her, even though they spent so much time together that Astrid considered her her best friend. They were all Vikings, Astrid most of all. She had a very stiff personality, very war and viking like.

She began to find more people attractive. She was becoming a young women. But, as a warrior, Astrid knew one thing: Love is overrated. That was the one thing she and Ruffnut had in common. And this is where out story begins:

_Astrid POV_

Today is my sixteenth birthday. I have been in dragon training for two years, when I turned old enough to fight. I keep coming back, because someday I'll be the head of the class. It's this year, I can taste it in the air, and I can feel it in the warm eyes of my teacher, Gobber, whenever he looks at me, with his broad smile. But we no longer fight dragons. We're learning to train dragons, and fighting other pests. We never changed the name from Dragon Training, for reasons I don't know why. It is my pain priority. I need to become top of class. Hiccup has been holding the spotlight for to long. Every year I have a different opinion of him. For the last two years I've been with him, but this year...he just changed, I guess. Well, maybe it's because he hasn't changed, and the fact that I've changed that is bothering me. I broke up with him. He still likes me, and still wants to be my friend. Not gonna happen. I don't even know why it is such a big deal for me, but it is. I guess that's just who I am. People say it's stupid to break up with him out of the blue, but these few years have been hard on me.

I walk down the cold streets of Berk, wearing a knew sweater that my friend's parents knit for me. It was an early birthday present. I love it. It was a picture of my dragon knitted in. I walk to the dragon stables, to where my dragon is laying, asleep. I haven't told her it's my birthday, so she doesn't treat me different. I like being treated the same way. My dragon is the only one who does. Even Toothless is treating me different. I guess it's because I'm sixteen now. I'm not an adult, but I'm getting pretty close. I touch my dragons scaly warm back. She is always warm in the winter. She is my only heat source, some of the time, when I'm not with my Dad at his house. It isn't that I don't love him, but he is just so embracive sometimes, that I get mild anxiety. I sit down next to my dragon, laying against her back. I sit, thinking. My least favorite day of the year is my birthday. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that I'm older, but everyone treats you so much different, and they expect that you'll be this mature girl who can take complete responsibility for everything. Usually I can, but on these days, especially in the Winter months, I just feel like I should relax more, and not have everyone in your face and expecting you to be someone who you aren't...yet. But I've been expected to be that person my whole life, and I am used so it. I can take care of myself, and I can fight, and I am very mature for my age. But on Berk, they expect you to be even more so. I am under pressure every second of the day, even more so today. Unlike other places I've heard of, Berk does not give you special treatment or anything on your Birthday. Quite the opposite. The expect you to be better. To good, in my opinion, which is why on days like this I spend a lot of time with my dragon, and than go do everything they expect of me.

I hear the door to the stables open. I panic. I don't want them to find me. I hide behind my dragons wing, eying the door. My friend, Ruff walks threw.

"Astrid? Ya in here?" She asks, her nose twitching. She wipes her face with her sleeve, and walks further in, shutting the door behind her. Her entire body relaxes, and she walks to her dragon, and gives one of it's heads a hug.

"Hey" She says. "Have you seen Astrid? I'm looking for her. I wanted to give her her birthday present, from me and Tuff. Gah, Tuff, he's an idiot. He forgot it was Astrid's birthday. What a doye. Anyway, have ya seen er?"

I watch with my head tilted, with anticipation. Ruff isn't usually like this. She is barely ever this nice.

Suddenly, my dragons wing moves, revealing my presence in the room. Ruff turns her head, and steps backward, with a shocked look on her face. She quickly puts on a dopey look, and wipes her whole face with her sleeve.

"Hey, how long have you been sitting there?" Ruff asks. "I've been lookin' for you."

"Umm...just a..." I say. Ruff's eyebrows crease.

"Why didn't you come out when I was looking for you?" She asks. Her eyes brighten.. "I got you a present."

"Thanks" I say, with a smile.

"Happy birthday" She says. "I gotta go. Tuff and I were gonna head down to the river. Wanna come?"

"No thanks" I say. Ruff nods, and starts to make her way out. The hint of annoying is back again, and I glare at her backside as she walks. I don't understand how she just got so annoying. She turns around, and walks back to me.

"You can't tell anyone I hugged my dragon, or used a baby voice. Tuff will never let me forget it" Ruff says.

"Okay" I say. Ruff nods. She swaggers away, with her head held very high as though she had never stepped foot in here. I tilt my head. She seems different today. She is usually so much more...obnoxious I guess. Different, but not bad.

–

I walk down to the river, a few hours later, with a heavy sigh. I've become very tired, but sadly that is what comes when you're a teen.

I've been thinking a bit about Ruff. Why, though? She's my best friend. Not only that, she is my endlessly annoying best friend. I prefer her brother, anyway. Well, maybe it's just the fact that she seems softer than him. She's hiding it, though. Which is...actually...nope, if you start comparing yourself to Ruff than it is the end of the world. I'm smarter than her. I'm tougher than her. I have to be.

Ruff and Tuff sit by the river on the bridge, both yelling at each other and throwing their hands in the air, when Ruff pushes Tuff into the river. I hold back a giggle, but it slips threw my inclosed lips. Ruff turns her head in my direction, and Tuff bursts out of the water.

"Oh I'm hurt!" He yells, but leaves it at that, since he sees that Ruff is no longer paying attention to him, and is walking over to me.

"Hey" She says, with a dorky smile.

"Hey" I say back.

"So the dead is living I can see" Ruff says, and laughs, with a snort. Tuff walks over as well.

"Astrid, you are the best in dragon training! Seriously, you're getting better than Hiccup. Those dragons just love you!" Tuff says.

"Shut up, ya doye" Ruff says, pushing her brother over. "Would you stop looking for attention?"

"I'm not looking for attention!" Tuff says. Ruff rolls her eyes far back in her head, and pushes her brother again, which starts a biting and kicking match.

"Hey guys, stop" I say, calmly. They don't. I sigh, and raise my voice. "Stop!" They both turn their heads, and untangle themselves from the kicking and biting. They both give me the same dorky smile and say at the exact same time, in unison:

"Happy birthday." I give a fake, very weak smile.

"Thanks" I say. They nod, and start to talk to me very loudly, Tuff praising me and Ruff hitting him. I have to admit it, I do let out a giggle every few minutes. Tuff soon leaves, leaving Ruff and me standing on the bridge, rather awkwardly. Ruff turns to me, about to burst.

"I have good news and bad news" Ruff says.

"What's the good news?" I ask.

"I kissed a guy" She says, very excitedly.

"Really?" I ask, getting more excited for her than I intended. Ruff nods, and her smile droops. My smile fades as well. "What's the bad news?"

"Kissing isn't as good as its cracked up to be. It's all awkward and sweaty and the guy always gets all weird. I dunno. I guess I'm just better off..." Ruff trails off, and her smile reappears. "But hey, always have Tuff to annoy. That's the best thing about having a sibling. Ya know, getting to take your anger out on them." Ruff chuckles.

"You know, I don't think kissing as that good, either. All the time I was with Hiccup, it didn't impress me much" I say. Ruff smiles.

"I could have called that. Like I said, you could do better" Ruff says. I glance at her, and smile, more at the thought than at her.

"Thanks" I say. She nods.

"Alright, no more of this gushy crap, to much girly stuff up in here. It's gonna give me a nosebleed" Ruff says. Yep, back to typical Ruffnut. I nod along, though.

"Ya know, maybe only..." I trail off. "Ha, never mind." Ruff has her classic, and mostly worn confused expression on her face, and she walks off with a wave of her hand, muttering to herself about something.

Well, that was...weird.

_Ruffnut POV_,

Astrid is acting weird. She's been acting like that around me, lately, and that makes me more awkward. Well, awkward_er_. Plus, she saw me with my dragon. She saw me hugging him, and being all...kind and crap. I never act like that when someone is watching me, cause they think I've gone all girly on them and that isn't me. Especially when Tuff is around cause he'll never let me forget it. I hate that she saw me. Now everyone is going to know that I am...a bit girlier than I let on, if that's a word, though I don't think it is. I don't want them to see me as anything but a viking, cause that's who I am. I defend Berk, and I beat the crap out of my brother. That's me. That's what people think of me when they see me, and I like it that way. It's better that way, and now Astrid has seen me on my soft side. This sucks.

–

It's been two weeks since Astrid's birthday. She's been acting very odd lately and has been glaring at me a lot more. I don't know what I've done but it makes me feel like I should apologize or somethin'. Not that I'm going to. I haven't done anything, accept being myself, which is only mildly offensive. Well, it is more than mildly but Astrid is used to it by now. I haven't said anything that should offend her more than it usually does, so I don't get it. She's acting like she acted when we first met, and she hated my guts, and I hated hers. I hate that she's acting this way. It's rude, and uncalled for. Ha, who am I kidding? I say rude things on a daily basis. But I'm not going to pity myself. I'm not going to bring myself down to Tuffnut's level.

Astrid and I have talked much since, but they haven't been kind conversations. I've been normal, but she's been passive aggressive. Maybe I'm just taking it to harshly, but I don't think I am. Ask Tuff! He'd say the same!

I walk by Hiccup, who is still in a very sad faze. I don't look at him right in the eye. I still get easily embarrassed standing around him, and I really don't like that feeling. I never feel embarrassed. Maybe it's because he's the guy I kissed. It wasn't a good kiss, either. I didn't like it. But standing around him makes me feel awkward.

He smiles, and waves at me, than bites his lip, looking at the ground.

"Have you seen Astrid, lately?" He asks.

"Nuh" I say. "Why ya askin' me?"

"You're her best friend" He says, a little questioning me.

"Well, that's just brilliant, isn't it?" I say, punching a barrel. "I thought that too, but suddenly, out of the blue, she starts being rude to me, and treating me weirdly, and glaring at me! Usually that doesn't bother me, but Astrid is my best friend, and the only other friend I have whose a girl! Not that I care that much, but it is just so frustrating! She is so frustrating!"

"Been there" Hiccup says, with a laugh. "That's how she usually acts, around me."

"Well duh, you doye" I say, rolling my eyes.

"Well, sorry I tried" Hiccup says. "If you see her, can you tell her I'm looking for her?"

"No! You tell her yourself!" I say, biting my tongue, hard.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good" Hiccup says. "Is this about...?"

"Guh, boys, always going for _those_ answers. Stupid, immature, _boys_" I yell. "No, it isn't! This is purely based on anger. It is really easy to take it out on you."

Hiccup nods, and slowly starts to walk away. I sigh, and punch the barrel again. I hear footsteps, and I turn, and I see just the tip of a blond braid, heading behind a building. Oh suck a dragons egg!

_Third Person_,

As the months passed, Astrid and Ruff slowly got back into a normal friendship, but it wasn't the same as it used to be. Astrid didn't talk as much, she ignored Ruff, and glared a lot more than before. Ruff ignored this attitude, and sometimes didn't even notice it, unless it was very big, and obvious. But as the months passed, Astrid got stranger and stranger.

Astrid would see Ruff spit at the ground, than go into the dragon stables, and Astrid would watch from the window, to see what she'd do. Ruff was a different person. She still was offensive and rude, and not even a hint of girly, but she was softer. She would be easier to get along with. When Astrid watched Ruff, she saw herself. Astrid rolled her eyes at the thought. What stupid wording, but it did cross her mind, and Ruff did remind her of herself. Ruff had an outlet. And Astrid was glad she got to see it.

One day, Astrid walked threw the door when Ruff was talking to her dragon, and Astrid hugged hers and talked softly, and made sure that Ruff could see. Ruff would always have a dorky smile, and sooner than later, they were both acting more soft there. But only there. Ruff got out of the habit, because someone knew her secret, and she became the person she was before. Ruff wanted to seem...well, Rough. But when Astrid talked to her, she was kinder. Ruff was no longer rough around her, just the perfect amount. Astrid liked this side of her, and she liked the rough side of her, as well.

As the days grew warmer, Astrid would sit by herself in the dragon stalls, completely quiet, and feel sick to her stomach, but not knowing why. Until one day, when Astrid and Ruff were talking, Astrid blurted out in the middle of pure silence:

"Ruff, lately I've been kinda having these feelings...for you" Astrid says this quietly, so Ruff can barely hear it, but she can still get the message. Ruff turns on the dopey part of herself.

"Heh? What kind of feelings?" Ruff asks.

"Like...feelings. I dunno. Like, the feelings I had when I was with Hiccup" Astrid says. "Never mind, forget it."

"Wait, how does that work?" Ruff asks. Astrid sighs.

"It's nothing. It's something I'll just have to work on" Astrid decides, and walks away, a little faster than she intends. Ruff looks at the ground, confused beyond her days.

Astrid sits in the stalls, clutching her heart as her dragon sleeps. It is something she just needs to work on. Something she just needs to forget about. She's a viking. Vikings don't have a soft spot. Vikings don't care about these things. Astrid _is_ a viking, and needs to remember that. It was the same story when she was with Hiccup. Astrid just needs to dismiss this. But why is her heart beating so fast? Why does her lip quiver when she walks by the twins house? Why does she repeatedly walk to the stalls every single time that Ruff does to watch her? Astrid doesn't know. She shouldn't have any feelings, because she's a viking. Her whole life has been set around that. She is a warrior. She is a fighter. She doesn't have time for feelings like this. She can't.

But as Astrid sits, she doesn't realize that Ruff is peeking threw the window at her, to see just what she is doing. But Ruff trips, and a bucket falls, and Astrid turns and sees her their, and her body starts to tremble.

"Sorry" Ruff says.

"Can I just try something? Just to...get my mind off everything" Astrid asks, after the shock passes. Ruff nods and walks around the building, and threw the door. Astrid walks to her, grabbing the taller girl's shoulders and planting a passionate kiss on her lips. Ruff's arms spin around, and her eyes widen, and she steps back, not wanting the kiss to continue. Ruff pulls away, taking steps back, and not looking at Astrid in the eye. Ruff takes a deep breath, and starts to run. Astrid closes her eyes, ashamed of herself, but she could have guessed that this would happen.

Ruff doesn't talk or even look at Astrid for a very long time.

_Ruff POV_

We have just unpacked for our stay at this weird little island. It's just me, Tuff, Snotlout, Hiccup and... Astrid. I don't know what to say about Astrid, but the island is so small that we are close to each other all the time. We bump into each other, and sometimes have to talk to each other. We're looking for this runaway dragon, and we all have search parties going out. Snotlout made the list, and just my luck, Astrid and I are a search team. It isn't all bad, but I'm scared. Yeah, there, I said it! I was angry at first, but it was different later on. I liked the feeling. I liked it a lot more than when I kissed Hiccup. I just can't look at Astrid anymore, because people will know that I liked it. People will think I'm weirder and grosser than I am. I don't care that much, but Tuff will never let me forget it. It's stupid, I know, but I just don't want people to find that I kissed a girl...well, a girl kissed me. And I didn't hate it. And I really wouldn't mind if it happened again. Crap, I need to stop thinking about it!

I sit by the fire, that has started to go out completely, and they are just bright red coals. I pick up a stick and poke the fire with it, bored, slouched over with one hand on my cheek to support my head. Someone takes the seat beside me, and shivers, and breathes a heavy sigh. I turn to meet Astrid's face, and I let out a sigh as well. She scotches away, a little, and turns her head a bit.

"I'm sorry" She says, as though she were about to burst into tears, and walks away. I drop my stick in the burning coals, and I watch Astrid walk, with some sense of sadness. I forgive her, duh.

–

I wake up, in the middle of the night, very cold. I shiver, and hug my hands. I roll over, and over, until I find something warm, and my arms rap around it, not even caring who it is, if it were Tuff to even Snotlout.

–

I wake up in the morning to arms rapped around my waist, and my arm around the other body, with a head on my shoulder. I look at the smaller form, and realize, to my even larger surprise, it's Astrid. Crap. But when I try to move away, Astrid starts to shiver. I sigh, geez I'm gonna regret this. I rap my arms around her and place my chin on the top of her blond hair. Screw everyone else.

I need to face it. I like Astrid. I don't care what everyone thinks. Love isn't as overrated as I thought it was. I can prove it. Try kissing Astrid, and you'll definitely see what I mean. It could even make some cold, annoying viking warrior fall in love.

_Fin_.

* * *

**AN. Yeah, I know it was stupid and OOC, but this is the first time I've written a story like this, and I really ship this couple! This is a first try, and I know it sucks, but I really did try. I'll write better ones in the future, I promise. I'm sorry again if it disappointed you, but please don't flame me! Anyway, Coffee out! Until next time.**


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